BJP not sure of votes elsewhere, so eying N-E, says Assam Congress

Guwahati, Jan 18 (IANS) The opposition Congress in Assam on Friday said the BJP is eyeing Bengal and northeastern states in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections through the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 as the party is not confident about votes in north and south India.

"The BJP has realized that they will not do well in north and south Indian states in the Lok Sabha polls. So they are eyeing the Lok Sabha seats in Bengal and northeastern states to improve their tally. The party is pursuing the Citizenship Bill to woo the Hindu Bengalis," said Pradyut Bordoloi, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman and former minister, at a press conference.

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi recently termed state finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as the "new Jinnah of Assam."

"Both the Jinnahs have striking similarities: both were members of the Congress initially. While Md. Ali Jinnah broke away from the Congress and started Muslim League, Sarma quit Congress and joined BJP," said Bordoloi.

"Sarma was a member of the Congress till 2014 but joined the BJP when the allegations of corruptions against him came up about his involvement in Saradha scam and the Louis Berger bribery scam," said Bordoloi.

"Sarma is also propagating lies against a particular community. He had claimed that the Moinbori Satra had to be shifted due to aggression of Muslims. But in reality the Moinbori Satra was shifted due to erosion of Beki river. No Satra land in Assam is under encroachment of Muslims," he said.

Slamming Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for his silence over the Bill, Bordoloi said that Sonowal is so scared of the protests over the Bill that he has had to take a chopper to travel short distances between Dibrugarh to Tinsukia or from Jorhat to Kaziranga.

He said there is a competition between Chief Minister Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma to prove as to who is closer to the top BJP and RSS barss.